


Results May Vary

by sister_dear



Series: Built on Trust [4]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Four (Linked Universe)-centric, Gen, Green pretends to be Four, Let Legend wear his skirts in peace 2021, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Twilight (Linked Universe)-centric, Twilight knows Something Is Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 23:34:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29617152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sister_dear/pseuds/sister_dear
Summary: There is something off in the way Four is acting. Twilight aims to find out what it is.
Relationships: Four & Hyrule & Legend & Sky & Time & Twilight & Warriors & Wild & Wind (Linked Universe), Four & Twilight (Linked Universe)
Series: Built on Trust [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2091690
Comments: 19
Kudos: 178





	Results May Vary

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Zelda-versary, everybody!

Shopping with his fellow heroes is like herding cats. 

Twilight would know. He has a town full of the fuzzy little hunters back home. You don’t tell cats what to do, you point them in a direction and hope that you’ve managed to make it enticing enough for them to do what you want. 

...Maybe Wild is on to something with that ‘punishment and reward via cooking’ thing they’ve got going on. 

“Twilight!” Warriors holds up a quilted tunic. It’s too broad in the shoulders to be intended for himself. “You’re close to Sky’s size, come see if this fits.”

“Shouldn’t you be shopping for you?” Twilight shoots back. Warriors only gives him an impatient raise of one perfectly manicured eyebrow. 

Twilight mutters an apology to Hyrule as he squeezes around him in the narrow path between the shelves. Nothing in Four’s Hyrule is sized for a group as large as theirs, including the shops. They filled the clothing store with noise and general chaos just by walking in the door, a gust of winter air chasing them inside. The shopkeeper watches them all with a look that is equal parts hope for what will no doubt be a very good business day and keeping an eye out for thievery. 

Over and under the chatter is an undertone of forced cheer, unstated worry. They all noticed when Sky and Four slipped away. Twilight suspected the reason, had it confirmed when an inquisitive Wind noted the absence and Time informed them that Sky was ill and Four was taking him back to his home. It’s not the first time Sky’s ongoing health problems have gotten the better of him, but Twilight can’t shake the unease of having him out of sight while knowing he’s not at his best. 

Twilight pauses to remove a pair of pants from Wind’s hands. “These are cotton, Wind. You do not want cotton. Animal fibers. Wool or hide is best for trousers. Wool will keep you warm even if it gets wet.”

“I knew that!”

“Sure you did.” 

Out of the corner of his eye, Twilight sees Wild - amber “it’s a ‘they’ day” earrings glinting in the light from the front shop window - lift a long winter riding skirt up for Legend’s inspection. Legend snatches it from their hands, holding it up to his own waist with an expression of pure glee. Twilight himself could never manage to fight in something like that, but Legend has proven that he's perfectly capable of doing so and at least he won’t freeze to death while wearing it. Twilight’s legs have been giving a sympathetic twinge every time he catches a glimpse of Legend’s cold-reddened knees. 

Twilight hands Wind a pair of pants in a more appropriate material. They’re much more drab in color than what Wind picked out for himself. Wind’s nose wrinkles, eyebrows scrunching. Twilight takes a slow breath in. Warriors is watching them, one foot tapping. Neither he or Twilight have even begun to look for the warmer trousers that they both ought to be buying. Time and Hyrule are huddled over the cloaks. Wind needs a completely new wardrobe. Wild and Legend are handing each other increasingly weather-inappropriate skirts. “Wild! Wild, get over here and - yes it’s very pretty - come help Wind find clothes that won’t kill him the first time he falls into a snow drift.”

“I can buy my own stuff, Twilight.” Wind’s hands drift towards a different set of bright cotton trousers. 

All in all, it takes quite some time before they finally leave the clothing shop.

The bite of icy wind on his face is a refreshing change from the stifling closeness of the shop. Twilight breathes deep, hides a grimace as he remembers too late the pungent mix of smells that comes as part of any town. Everyone else is spreading out, stamping feet and sighing in relief, breath puffing into the air in little white clouds. 

Four finds them in the street. 

Wild spots him first. “Four! Everything go okay? How’s Sky?”

Seven heads immediately swivel in his direction. Four, marching up to them with a brisk stride, falters a little at the sudden intense scrutiny. Uncertainty flashes across his face, swiftly buried. Time straightens, shifting from relaxed to focused in a sudden cessation of movement and noise. He opens his mouth, expression as flat as Lake Hylia on a clear day. Before Time can get a word out, Four visibly gathers himself and launches straight into a slightly harried story. “We ran into a group of monsters just outside town.” 

His words grow no less alarming from there. Twilight crosses his arms, feels his head tilt and his nostrils flare as he listens. Sky apparently had an attack of the breath severe enough to put him on the ground in the middle of the battle. Warriors and Hyrule go on full alert at that. They push to the front, standing shoulder to shoulder. 

“Sky’s all right now, though? You got him to the forge?” Hyrule leans forward, intent.

“Of course he is! I wouldn’t just leave him!”

“Keep your head on, short stuff. It’s just a question.” Legend pops an elbow on Hyrule’s shoulder, leans against it. Hyrule is too distracted to react to being used as a prop. 

Worry and lingering adrenaline go a long way to explaining Four’s brisker-than-usual demeanor. But something else is off. Ever so slightly different. It’s hard to put his finger on what. 

_“How_ did you clear out that many monsters on your own without them getting at Sky?” Warriors wants to know. 

Four’s face twitches. Legend reaches around behind Hyrule to give Warriors a swift smack to the back of his shoulder. Any one of them would be irritated at that tone. Warriors is letting the worry go to his head. 

“Bombs. And my gust jar. And a hammer.” 

Wind looks like he’s taking mental notes. Wild whistles in appreciation, offering Four a thumbs up. “Nice.” 

“Damn, Four.” There’s rare, honest appreciation in Legend’s tone. “You’ve been holding out on us.”

Instead of the usual smirk or private little smile at a job well done, Four just shakes his head, fingers tapping at his belt. “Once the monsters were gone w- _I_ did my best to help Sky through it-”

“And how did you do that?”

Twilight growls a little. He stalks up to Warriors’ other side, slings an arm around his neck, and slaps his hand over Warriors mouth. Ignoring the indignant sound and the fingers that immediately pry his hand away, he hisses, “Pull yourself together,” at Warriors and then flashes Four an encouraging smile. “Please, continue.” He’s never going to figure out what it is that’s off in Four’s demeanor if he keeps getting distracted by interruptions.

 _“Like I was saying,_ once he got through it and was well enough to walk we made it the rest of the way to the forge. He’s with Grandpa. I came back to warn Zelda and then to find all of you. How are you doing here? How far have you gotten?”

Hyrule is looking marginally more relaxed, but Warriors is still tense, back stiff, shoulders military straight under Twilight’s encircling arm. He turns to Time. “We should go back now. If there are still monsters in the woods around the forge-”

“No we shouldn’t!” Four’s exclamation is loud and sharp. Twilight’s eyes narrow without his input. Four spots his face before he can clear it, winces, and rushes to clarify. “I checked the woods on the way back here; they’re clear for now. Everyone coming back early will just embarrass Sky more. He needs _rest,_ not to be hovered over.”

There is a moment of uncertain silence. Twilight still can’t shake the nagging feeling that something is off. Something more than how Four is acting.

Another gust of winter wind ruffles hair and sneaks through clothes. A fresh round of shivers slithers through the group, and a burst of insight shoots straight up Twilight’s spine and into his brain. 

It's Four’s scent. It’s hard to pick out in this form, but he’s sure of it. His senses aren’t as sharp like this, especially surrounded by the many strong smells of the town: crowds of people, animals, the bakery and the tannery and the potion shop all come together to form a muddled mix of smells that would be difficult to separate even as a wolf. But Twilight has been living and sleeping near his companions for months now, and there is something subtly off about Four's scent. 

“He was breathing okay when you left?” Hyrule’s fingers twist themselves together. “Your grandfather knows what to do if he starts having trouble again?”

Four nods, still a little stiff. “Grandpa… learned a lot. Because of my adventures.” 

Hyrule exhales, bobs his head. He gives Warriors a little dig in the ribs with his elbow that has Warriors grunting, breaking his tense posture. “All right, all right,” Warriors grumbles, giving in. Twilight pats his collarbone before unwinding his arm from around Warriors’ neck. He understands. He does. The others have to rein him in on occasion when Wild gets injured. 

Now. How to pry what’s really going on out of Four without tipping him off?

Twilight feels there’s a certain degree of trust between him and Four. They both know a major secret about the other, after all. Four tends to close off if pressed, but sometimes he’ll talk if just given the opportunity and a bit of privacy. 

“Wind still needs boots,” Time reminds them all. “We'll finish gathering our supplies for now and go after the monsters in the morning, when the light is on our side.” The group shifts, coming back to life. Wind rubs his arms as if made aware of the cold all over again. Wild hooks their arm through Hyrule’s, tugging him over to a food stall where the delicious smell of baked goods and spices wafts out, enticing passers-by. Twilight keeps an eye on them to make sure they don’t wander any further. 

“The cobbler is this way.” Four starts to plow through the middle of the group, ready and willing to take the lead. Twilight catches him with a hand on his shoulder. 

“Maybe we should split up now,” he suggests. “We’ve got the majority of what we need, we’re just down to odds and ends. There’s no need to stay as one big group for those.”

“Shoes, bedrolls, potions, food.” Legend ticks off on his fingers. 

“I claim food duty!” Wild calls from the baker’s stall. 

“Great. Not with Hyrule; it’ll be nightfall before we see you two again. Take Warriors.” Wild pouts but accepts this easily enough. 

“Four and I can go after the bedding,” Twilight offers with what he hopes is a sufficient amount of nonchalance. 

Time nods. “I’ll help Wind with shoes. That leaves Legend and Hyrule on potions.”

“Meet by the main gates?”

Plan thus enacted, Four gives hurried directions to the others. Soon enough it’s just him and Twilight.

“The supply shop is this way.”

Twilight falls into step with Four easily, letting him lead the way over icy cobblestones. 

“You all right?”

“Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Twilight shrugs. 

...Maybe it’s nothing. Maybe it’s just worry over Sky and Twilight is reading too much into it. He keeps as surreptitious an eye out as he can manage as they buy warm bedrolls to supplement the too-thin blankets tucked in with Wind and Hyrule’s belongings. Four is a little tense, a little brisk, quick to make decisions where he would normally wait for Twilight to express his opinion. Nothing too out of the ordinary. Nothing that can’t be explained away by a difficult afternoon. But Twilight’s instincts on these things are usually good. 

They are, perhaps unsurprisingly, the first back to the gates. Twilight crosses his arms, settling in against an empty hitching post. He watches Four huff and pace, chafing his hands over brown sleeves. He's not wearing the same clothes he left the forge in this morning. 

“When did you change your coat?” 

Four’s stride hardly falters. “The other one got monster blood on it. What’s taking so long?” His head swivels this way and that as if he can make their companions appear through force of will alone. 

“You’re the one who thought we should take our time getting back.” Twilight regrets not insisting that they make a few pit stops at some of the other shops. He might be refusing to admit to it, but Four radiates worry. That, at least, Twilight has more than one trick to help with. “C’mere. Watching you pace is making the gate guards anxious.”

It’s true, though they’re being scrupulous in their polite avoidance of addressing it. Four makes a few more passes before he gives in. He marches over to Twilight like Warriors or Time when they’re in take charge mode, then doesn’t seem to know what to do with himself once he’s there. Twilight resists the urge to pull him in. Unlike Wind or Wild, Four doesn’t take kindly to being manhandled. He holds out an arm in invitation, privately relieved when Four tucks himself in at Twilight’s side, even stiff as he remains. Twilight catches one of the guards shooting him a grateful expression and a subtle tap of spear to helmet in salute. Twilight nods back at the man. Most of the people they’ve encountered in Four’s Hyrule so far are friendly, or at least putting forth the pretense of it, and Twilight would like to keep it that way. 

Now that he has Four, though, he falters a bit on the next step. How to get him talking? He needs to be careful of his wording. It can be so easy to overstep with Four. Though he’s quick to let them know when it happens, Twilight would rather avoid it. 

Subtly with words is not Twilight’s strong suit.

“Sky will be alright,” he tries. Four jerks his head in acknowledgment. He relaxes just a fraction, leaning more of his weight into Twilight’s side. He still doesn’t seem inclined to say much of anything, but at least he’s no longer engaged in that agitated pacing. Twilight tries to consider it progress. 

...He still smells off.

Most of the passers-by recognize Four. Some wave and call greetings that Four returns. None of them stop to talk. A few seem inclined to until their eyes skim over Twilight and they hurry away. One, a petite woman with a businesslike air about her, narrows her eyes at Twilight and then turns a pointed look to Four. He makes a shooing motion and she moves on, but not before shooting a quick look at the relaxed guards and another thorough once-over of Twilight himself. 

“She was about to come rescue you from me.” 

“You’re twice my weight, wearing a wolf pelt and facial tattoos.”

“If I’m keeping you from your friends…”

“You aren’t.”

Twilight can only take him at his word.

The others trickle back in pairs. The sinking sun stretches long shadows as they leave town. Four takes the lead without hesitation, setting what is, for him, a brisk pace. Twilight remains at the back of the group, more sure of his footing should they be ambushed than some of his companions. Snow crunches and groans under their boots. No one speaks. Hands hover near weapons, eyes wary of any unusual movement in the growing blackness of the forest. All of them feel the lack of their ninth member. 

Despite - or perhaps because of - their wariness, they return to Four’s home without incident. Warriors and Hyrule follow close on Four’s heels as he opens the door, peeks inside, and then opens it further with a pointed look over his shoulder and a finger held to his lips. Twilight watches over shoulders as both Warriors' and Hyrule's heads swivel immediately to the left. Hyrule exhales hard and the rigid line of Warriors’ back relaxes. It’s enough for the agitation that has been clawing at the back of Twilight’s neck all afternoon to loosen its grip before he even steps inside.

Four’s home is no more suited for a group their size than the shops were, but stepping into this particular cramped space brings nothing but relief. Good humor curls around him as Twilight joins the comedic shuffle near the door, all of them attempting to be quiet and not track snow into the house while simultaneously trying to see for themselves that Sky is present and well. There he is, sleeping peacefully on the couch, looking warm and perfectly content surrounded by a blanket and a mountain of pillows. 

Then Grandpa Smith enters through the far door, and Twilight doesn’t even realize how thoroughly he’s being distracted until Four comes back into the room as Legend and Hyrule are showing off the relative swishiness of their new skirt and cloak, respectively. He hadn’t even noticed Four leave. Being around Four’s grandfather makes him feel like a child again, bringing Uli a fascinating bug to exclaim over. 

Four seems… much more relaxed. Much more himself, out of his heavy coat and nothing but stockings on his feet. He rejoins the group, brushes up against Twilight’s elbow. The odd tinge to his scent is gone as if it never was. The sudden return to normalcy only serves to convince Twilight more that there was something off in the first place. His instincts, starting to relax for the first time all afternoon, sit up and take notice. 

It’s only because he’s looking so closely that Twilight catches the secretive little smile Four shoots past him. Twilight turns in time to catch Sky, now awake and sitting up with Warriors slumping boneless onto the couch beside him, return the look with a happy crinkling of his eyes and a swiftly hidden curl of his lips. 

Whatever is going on with Four, Sky is in on it. That is… comforting, actually. If Sky knows, and isn’t worried, then Twilight trusts his judgement enough to let himself relax again. None of them are obligated to share their secrets, after all. It is, perhaps ironically, one of the things that has led to the level of trust the group managed to foster between themselves. 

That doesn’t mean Twilight isn’t going to be keeping a close eye on the both of them for the near future. Wolves are curious creatures, after all. 


End file.
